


That Which You Fear

by twilighteve



Series: Paranatural Hogwarts AU [6]
Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: A Little Bit of Horror, Boggart, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, pnat hogwarts au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 06:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5446346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilighteve/pseuds/twilighteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boggarts show your deepest fear. The kids tried to handle it. Hogwarts AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Which You Fear

When they first encountered their fears, they were second-years.

Wait, that sounded so cheesy. They’ve encountered scary things in their first year, too. Maybe it would better if he said that they first saw boggarts in their second year. Yep, that sounded better.

Max still remembered it well. Professor Garcia had put an old wardrobe in the middle of the classroom, and the desks and chairs had been pushed back to the walls to create a large space for them to face the boggart.

“This is just a weak boggart, kids,” Professor Garcia had told them. “They would display your fears, sure, but it won’t be as scary as the other boggarts. Professor Spender, Zarei, and I had managed to tone down the fear factor in this boggart so it’ll be an easy practice for you in case you’ll have to face the real boggart.”

Isabel’s hand shot to the air. “But if it’s not as scary as the other boggarts, how will we be able to face other boggarts?”

“You’ll have another practice in your third year!” Professor Garcia answered easily, though the expression that suggested he was too tired to deal with life in his face didn’t change. “Right now, it’s just a way to… introduce yourselves to the boggart. Just so you can be buddies.”

“What about no,” Max deadpanned.

“You don’t have a choice,” Professor Garcia pointed out, and the students broke into laughter. Max simply smiled. He had known that he had to face the boggart whether he wanted to or not.

“Alright, we’ll start one by one!” Professor Garcia clapped. “You, Max, the one who doesn’t want to be buddies with the boggart. What about you start first?”

“Well since I don’t have a choice,” Max shrugged and stepped forward.

“Wands out,” Professor Garcia instructed, not just for Max but also for everyone in the class. Everyone complied. “Now try the spell: _Riddikulus_.”

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” Max muttered, imitating the teacher’s word perfectly.

“That’s really great, Max,” Garcia nodded and walked to the wall, where he pulled a chair and sat on it. He waved his wand to the wardrobe and its doors swung open. “Have fun with the boggart,” he said before he sunk into his chair and began dozing off.

Max turned to the wardrobe. The inside was completely dark despite the light that shone from the windows in the room. Then, slowly, something crawled out of the wardrobe. Hairy leg – no, legs – all eight of them, eight glinting eyes that stared at him. A pair of fangs that looked more threatening than they had any right to be.

It was an acromantula. Not very big, Max knew, as it was just about as tall as his waist. But it was the exact same replica as the one he had met in the Forbidden Forest in his first year, when he had fallen into the opening leading into the acromantulas’ nest, when he first met the huge magnetic dragon-snake something that he had somehow ended up calling Scrapdragon. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had let out a high-pitched scream. Everyone in the class laughed.

“Less screaming, more wand-waving,” Professor Garcia commented, cracking one eye open before he closed it and dozed off again.

“R-right, my bad,” Max muttered before remembering what the teacher had instructed them to do when they faced a boggart; imagine something funny. He created the image in his mind and pointed at the oncoming acromantula with his wand and spoke, clearly, “ _Riddikulus_.”

The big spider morphed into a large balloon spider at once, each leg a different color of the rainbow. It walked around aimlessly and created a loud squeaking noise anywhere it went. The class burst out laughing again, and Max grinned proudly.

“Good job, Puckett,” Professor Garcia grinned, once again cracking one eye open. “Back away, now. Another kid move forward! Everyone has to face the boggart.”

And one by one, they did. Isabel ended up having to deal with a dog, barking so much and so loudly it hurt. She turned it into a bobblehead. Suzie met an older version of herself, crying because none of the existing newspaper wanted to publish her stories because they were _horrible, terrible, she shouldn’t even call herself a journalist._ She laughed and dealt with it in a matter of seconds. Stephen met a man whose face was blurry for some reason, who simply said “Aliens aren’t real.” He yelled obscenities at the man before shouting the spell, which earned him a frown from Professor Garcia, but otherwise he was successful.

The first time they had to face boggarts, it was easy.

 

*

 

They were third-years when Professor Garcia decided that they would meet a boggart once more.

“But we already did last year!” Johnny protested. “We want to learn about something cool. Like a werewolf. Or a dementor!”

“First one is a material for later this year,” Professor Garcia easily replied, “and the second one is way out of your league. This boggart is going to be harder to deal with compared to last year’s. this one is a strong one, and it _will_ show you your deepest and darkest fear. I’ve seen some kids passing out from the shock. Don’t underestimate boggarts.”

“Last year’s was easy!”

“Last year’s was tamed,” Professor Garcia bit back, deadpan look in his face. “This one won’t back down from showing you the scariest things. So, don’t die from a heart attack or something.”

Max glanced at the chest in the middle of the room. Like the year before, the desks and chairs had been pushed back to the wall to give them space. He shuffled away from the chest. For some reason, the chest made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t like it.

“Hey, Max, you okay?” by his side, Isaac asked, tone worried.

“It’s, it’s fine,” Max answered hurriedly.

“Alright, kids, best to do this quickly,” Professor Garcia called out. “Violet. You start first.” He walked back to the wall not far away from where the rest of the kids stood in line. This time, he didn’t pull a chair to sit on. He waved his wand, and the chest swung open.

It seemed like there was a whirlwind coming out from the chest, and then it morphed into a humanoid wolf that let out a loud roar. Violet froze for a moment, face as white as sheet, before she whipped her wand out and screamed, “ _Riddikulus!_ ”

The werewolf plopped down to the floor, already changed into a cute puppy that blinked up at Violet innocently.

“Okay, that was a good start,” Professor Garcia nodded. “Lisa, you’re up.”

One by one, the students faced the boggarts, and Max could see why he had told them not to underestimate boggarts. This one certainly made last year’s boggart seem like a child’s play. Which was oddly fitting, because he just saw one of the muggleborn students having to face Chucky. The boggart changed into all manners of creatures and being the embodiment of anyone’s phobias. It morphed into a clown. A banshee. A zombie. Things out of muggles’ horror movies, things out of auror’s nightmares. And, before long, it was his turn.

Max walked ahead, already clutching his wand, nervously staring at the boggart. If last year’s boggart was to be an indication, he probably would have to deal with an adult acromantula. He hated acromantulas. It won’t be surprising if he had to face another one of those. He wouldn’t know, though, it could be anything else. He took a deep breath to prepare himself.

But any amount of preparation wouldn’t be enough. Max would be ready to face anything. _Anything_. But not _this_.

“Max…”

That soft voice, that warm smile. The cigarette between her lips and the outstretched gloved hands. The wafting smoke that swirled above the red hair tied into a bun. Those eyes, sparkling with happiness and love and _life_.

“Mom…?” Max mumbled, wand lowered a little in confusion, but not completely. A part of him was screaming and begging him to change the boggart into something funny already, but another part was confused. Just what part of his mother was scary?

“Max, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Max froze as his mother – _no, not Mom, it’s the boggart_ – strode forward to him, just as the people behind him began screaming. As the fake Mrs. Puckett walk, her skin began changing color and her flesh rotted away, falling off her bones and landing on the floor with sickening _plop, plop_. Before long, she was right in front of Max and she pulled him into her embrace.

“I’ve missed you so much, Max,” she spoke. Her voice was still so saccharine sweet. She stroked Max’s head lovingly, and Max went rigid immediately. It was just like the old time, before she died. “I love you so much. I want to stay this way forever. I want to keep holding you like this…” she cupped Max’s cheeks and gently pulled him up so that she could kiss his forehead with the rotting lips on her face. “My baby boy. You’ve grown so much…”

Max choked back a sob. “Mom,” he whispered, tears pricking his eyes. The smell of rotting flesh invaded his nose. The arms that hugged him, that was still rotting away to reveal the bones beneath, was definitely not real. He knew that this wasn’t his mother, not really.

But no matter how much he told himself to get over it, to hold up his wand and speak the spell already, he couldn’t. How could he? This wasn’t Mom, this wasn’t Mom, but this… was Mom. He couldn’t attack his own mother, not even if she was a fake one.

“I wish I could bring you where I am, so that we can be together forever…”

His breath hitched in his throat.

And then, suddenly, a strong hand ripped him away from the walking dead that was imitating his mother. He glanced at the owner and saw that it was Professor Garcia. He glanced at the boggart and his heart nearly broke to pieces. His mother’s face, once smooth and beautiful, was hideous. One eye had fallen out of its socket. The left side of her cheek had rotted away to reveal the teeth beneath the skin. Half her nose was missing. The tears in Max’s eyes fell freely and he gave another sob. He barely registered Professor Garcia yelling the spell with vengeance and the image of his zombified mother being turned into a smiling little doll.

“Max,” he felt the teacher’s hands shaking his shoulder, and he started. He looked up and met his eyes. “Max, are you alright?” the teacher asked.

Max didn’t answer for a moment. “I’m fine,” he replied at last.

“Do you want to go back to your dorm to rest?”

“N-no. I want to stay here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then,” the teacher frowned as he pushed the boy lightly to the end of the line. “You can go out if you want to.” He turned. “Isabel, you’re up.”

“Okay,” the Gryffindor girl stretched a bit before walking ahead. “This shouldn’t be too hard.”

Max shook his head. “Isabel, please. Don’t underestimate the boggart. This one’s no joke.” He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he whirled around almost furiously, only to see Isaac holding his hands up in surrender. The redhead gave him questioning look and Max mumbled, “I’m fine,” as he wiped his tears away. “And Isabel, seriously, don’t underestimate the boggart.”

“Oh, relax,” Isabel laughed. “It’ll probably just be a toothier version of the dog last year. That won’t – “

“ _Isabel Guerra._ ”

The rumbling voice cut off her words, and Isabel whipped out her wand with alarm. She froze when she saw the boggart.

“You dare call yourself a Guerra?” the copy of her grandfather asked, voice trembling like oncoming thunder. He sounded angry. He sounded upset. He sounded _disappointed_. “You are a disgrace! You are a failure that will never amount to anything. A Guerra. Ha! You’re just a punching bag! A punching bag for all the stronger students to train on!”

Isabel’s hands trembled.

“Disgusting,” grandad-boggart spat. “Foul. Letdown. You’re nothing but a pretty display, but you have no real skill. You’re only a disgrace to the Guerra name.” Then, the last blow. “I’m ashamed to call you my granddaughter.”

Isabel let out a sound that was a mix between a squeak, a gasp, and a sob. The wand slipped and fell from her fingers. Before anyone could react, she bolted out of the door, sprinting so fast she was nearly a blur.

“Isabel!” Ed yelled, surprised. He swooped down and took the wand she dropped, but didn’t run after her. He sighed and shook his head, turning to face Max and Isaac. “Let’s find her after class,” he proposed, and the other two boys nodded in agreement.

The rest of the class passed in a blur for Max, who was still reeling from the image of her mother rotting right before his eyes. He didn’t fight when Isaac pulled him from where he sat at the back of the class, following Ed to wherever he went… Max didn’t really pay attention.

“Ah, there she is.”

The words snapped him to the waking world at once. As it turned out, he was led into the Gryffindor common room. Max looked around the room and located Isabel immediately, curling near the fireplace as she rocked back and forth.

“Isabel,” Ed called, and for the first time Max noticed the pile of pretzels he had put on a plate he was carrying. When had they stopped at the kitchen, anyway?

The girl jumped and turned to them, face red. “Uhhh,” she muttered. “Ummm.”

“Izzy, you okay?” Ed asked as he plopped down next to her, putting the pretzels on the coffee table near where they sat.

“Yeah, uh,” Isabel’s face went even redder. “I’m just… um. It was so embarrassing that you guys saw me chickening out like that.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Ed reassured. “Really, that was rough and scary. I’d run too if your grandfather started yelling at me!”

“Except that wasn’t really him.” Isabel looked down. She was still red in the face.

“Well, that boggart sure made a scary good imitation, because I wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a fake,” Ed insisted.

Isabel smiled at him, finally. “Pass me a pretzel, will you?”

Ed grinned and complied.

Isaac and Max sat next to them, though Max kept a good distance from the other three. “What about you, Ed?” Isaac asked. “A vampire was pretty scary, too.”

“Nothing compared to yours,” Ed shrugged. “Seeing us three saying we don’t want to be friends with you? That’s gotta be scary.”

Max blinked. “That was your boggart?” he asked quietly. He hadn’t noticed what Isaac and Ed’s boggarts were.

“Yeah, but those are nothing compared to yours,” Isaac pulled Max into a half-hug, and the boy flinched immediately. Isaac let go. “Are you okay?”

“I, uh, I’m good,” Max lied. No, he wasn’t good. Not good at all.

The door to the Gryffindor common room swung open, and Johnny, Stephen, Ollie, and RJ stepped inside. “Hey, it’s you guys!” Johnny greeted immediately. “How, um… you all good?”

“We’re fine,” Max snapped immediately. Then he turned to his friends when he felt them rising to protest. “ _I’m fine,_ ” he insisted.

“Naw, dude, you’re still shakin’.” Unfortunately, as annoying as Johnny was, he was also observant. And then, before he knew it, the redheaded bully had plopped down next to him, soon followed by the rest of his gang. “And pale,” he added.

“I’m fine, okay,” Max groaned exasperatedly, even though he knew that he was a terrible liar.

“Aw, Max, it’s okay,” Isabel shuffled to his side and took a pretzel. “Your boggart was easily the scariest in class. Here, have a pretzel,” before he could protest, she shoved the pretzel into his mouth.

“Anyone would have reacted the same way you did,” Ollie told Max, surprisingly gentle.

“You all had to face your fears, too,” Max pointed out, uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. “How about you guys?”

“Eh, I could handle mine,” Stephen shrugged.

“Same with me,” Johnny agreed. “Wasn’t as scary as yours.”

RJ simply shrugged. They never talked much to people other than Johnny, Stephen, and Ollie, so Max figured it was as good an answer as any. They stared at Max, however, with those scrutinizing eyes Max just knew he couldn’t escape.

“I’m fine, really,” he groaned. The stare didn’t waver. “Though… I don’t think I can handle being alone right now,” he admitted.

“In that case,” Isabel grinned, and suddenly there was a mountain of cushions being dropped in front of him. “Let’s all just pile together here. Johnny, can you fetch the blankets?”

“Hey, you’re not the boss of me, Guerra!” Johnny pointed, but he stood nonetheless. “Ollie, help me out!”

And just like that, all eight of them somehow ended up in a giant pile of cushions and blankets, tangling to each other as they chatted and laughed, and slowly, the knot in Max’s stomach lessened as he relaxed, no longer flinching when touched. He probably would still get nightmares, but this… this helped. So much more than he could have expected it to.

Ed put two pretzels between his lips and began imitating a walrus, and Stephen started making up crazy ideas about were-walruses. The kids burst out laughing, and Max was no exception. For the first time that night, he was sure that everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually a headcanon by an anon (or maybe more than one anon) that was sent to tree-girl (tumblr) for the Hogwarts AU that was made together with apocalypse-sweet (tumblr) that I’m totally smitten with. Also I put in parts of tree-girl’s headcanons regarding the kids’ boggart. Hope it was good.


End file.
